An anime Splinter Cell series is currently being developed by John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. The series, which is based on Ubisoft’s successful video game franchise, is being made exclusively for Netflix. As of this writing, Netflix, Ubisoft, and representatives for Kolstad declined to comment on the deal. According to sources close to the deal, Kolstad will serve as writer and executive producer on the series, which will consist of two seasons and 16 episodes. It isn’t clear if the Splinter Cell series will go past the initial two-season run.
The Splinter Cell video game franchise started back in 2002 and was immediately critically acclaimed. The stealth action series is endorsed by author Tom Clancy and the stories follow the activities of NSA black ops agent Sam Fisher (voiced by Michael Ironside). The game was inspired by the Metal Gear series. Players are encouraged to lurk in the shadows and take out enemies as slowly and methodically as possible, adding an extra layer of suspense to the gameplay.
After the success of the first game, author Raymond Benson wrote Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell and the book’s sequel, which came out in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Like the game franchise, there have been a number of book installments over the years, with a series of different authors jumping on board to tell the story of Sam Fisher. Though his name is attached, Tom Clancy has not written any of the novels that have hit the shelves over the years. However, like the games, the books have been well-received by players and critics.
A Splinter Cell movie has been talked about for years, going all the way back to 2005. In 2011, Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, and Assassin’s Creed were all planned to receive big screen adaptations. It was even revealed that the script was complete back in 2017, with Venom star Tom Hardy attached to star. However, there have not been any updates about the movies since then. Since a TV series is happening at Netflix, the movie might not be happening anymore, though that has not been officially confirmed at this time.
Derak Kolstad has worked on all three of the John Wick installments that have been released. He recently co-created the Quibi series Die Hart, which stars Kevin Hart and John Travolta. Additionally, he also worked on Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series, which is expected to debut later this year. Marvel Studios hit some production snags at the beginning of the year like the rest of the world, so it is unclear when the inaugural season will premiere. As for the Splinter Cell series, it is not clear as to when production will begin, though we should get that information soon. Variety was the first to report on the Splinter Cell anime series coming to Netflix.
